Bofanglutide
Gan & Lee's GLP-1 receptor agonist built for one injection every two weeks. In China's Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 trial, weight fell 15.12% (24 mg) and 18.54% (48 mg) over 52 weeks vs 1.11% on placebo; China's regulator accepted its marketing application in September 2026 and Menarini holds European rights. It is not approved anywhere yet.
Bofanglutide is an experimental weight-loss shot from the Chinese drugmaker Gan & Lee. It works like Ozempic or Wegovy but is injected once every two weeks instead of every week. In a large Chinese study, people lost about 15% to 18.5% of their body weight in a year. China is reviewing it now, and it is not approved anywhere, including the US.
What is Bofanglutide?
Bofanglutide (development code GZR18) is an investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist discovered and developed by Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals, a Beijing-based company whose core business is insulin. It is a modified human GLP-1 that, according to its developers, contains no unnatural amino acids and carries a 22-carbon fatty diacid that binds albumin in the blood and slows absorption from under the skin. Its half-life is about 7 days, close to semaglutide's, but Gan & Lee doses it at much larger amounts (24 to 48 mg) once every two weeks, which means 26 injections a year instead of 52. The late-stage data are strong but not yet peer-reviewed. In the Chinese Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 trial (640 adults with overweight or obesity, 52 weeks), mean weight loss was 15.12% on 24 mg and 18.54% on 48 mg every two weeks, versus 1.11% on placebo. In a 36-week US Phase 2 trial (326 adults without diabetes), 48 mg every two weeks produced 15.18% weight loss, while a reference arm on tirzepatide 15 mg weekly lost 16.93%; that trial was designed to beat placebo, not to compare the two drugs. Both readouts come from a June 2026 company press release. The earlier work is published: a 30-week Phase 2b obesity trial (Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2026) and a 24-week Phase 2b type 2 diabetes trial in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2026), in which every bofanglutide arm lowered HbA1c more than semaglutide 1 mg weekly, with more gastrointestinal side effects. China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) accepted the marketing application for long-term weight management on 2 September 2026; the application is under review. Gan & Lee has licensed commercial rights to Menarini for 39 European countries (September 2026), JW Pharmaceutical for South Korea, Lupin for India and Productos Científicos (Carnot) for Latin America. No US Phase 3 trial is registered. An oral tablet version is in Phase 1, and a once-monthly maintenance regimen is in Phase 3.
What Bofanglutide Is Investigated For
Bofanglutide is being developed mainly for long-term weight management, with a parallel type 2 diabetes program and Phase 3 trials in obstructive sleep apnea. The strongest evidence is the Chinese Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 trial (52 weeks: 15.12% and 18.54% mean weight loss on 24 mg and 48 mg every two weeks vs 1.11% on placebo; 91.8% and 98.1% lost at least 5%), which supports the marketing application China accepted in September 2026. The best peer-reviewed evidence is the 30-week Phase 2b obesity trial (340 participants), where weight fell 9.75% to 16.09% across the every-two-weeks doses and 16.69% on 24 mg weekly, vs 1.15% on placebo. In type 2 diabetes, a 24-week open-label Phase 2b trial in 272 Chinese adults found HbA1c reductions of 1.87% to 2.32% vs 1.60% on semaglutide 1 mg weekly. The pitch is convenience: half as many injections as weekly GLP-1 drugs. The caveats are real. The Phase 3 and US Phase 2 results are press-release data; nearly all published participants are Chinese; gastrointestinal side effects were frequent at the top dose (64.1% nausea and 62.5% vomiting at 48 mg every two weeks in Phase 2b); and no cardiovascular outcome trial is registered. Head-to-head Phase 3 trials against Wegovy (China) and semaglutide (Latin America) are under way or planned, and those, not cross-trial comparisons, will show how it stacks up.
History & Discovery
Bofanglutide was discovered at Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals in Beijing, a company built on insulin analogs that is also developing a once-weekly insulin (GZR4). Its preclinical characterization, by Gan & Lee scientists with co-authors from Peking University's Institute of Molecular Medicine, was published in the European Journal of Pharmacology in 2022. First-in-human dosing began in China in December 2021 (NCT06548997), followed by a US single-ascending-dose study from March 2022 (NCT05328726); together they showed a half-life of about 7 days with no ethnic difference in exposure. Phase 1b/2a trials in obesity and type 2 diabetes ran in 2022 and 2023. The Phase 2b programs started in mid-2023: the obesity trial randomized 340 participants between June 2023 and June 2024, and the diabetes trial compared bofanglutide with semaglutide. The US FDA cleared an IND in December 2024 for a Phase 2 trial against tirzepatide and placebo, which enrolled 326 participants and finished in February 2026. Chinese Phase 3 trials began between December 2024 and February 2025: GRADUAL-1 in obesity and OPTIMUM-1 and OPTIMUM-2 in diabetes, followed in September 2025 by an open-label comparison with Wegovy. In November 2025 Gan & Lee announced GRADUAL-3, testing once-monthly injections to maintain weight loss. Gan & Lee licensed the drug region by region: Latin America to Productos Científicos (Carnot) in November 2025, India to Lupin in December 2025, South Korea to JW Pharmaceutical in April 2026 ($5 million upfront, $81.1 million in total potential payments), and 39 European countries to Menarini on 3 September 2026 (€62 million upfront, up to €664 million in milestones, double-digit royalties). The GRADUAL-1 and US Phase 2 toplines were announced on 12 June 2026, the Annals of Internal Medicine diabetes trial was published that summer, and China's NMPA accepted the marketing application for weight management on 2 September 2026.
How It Works
Bofanglutide copies GLP-1, a gut hormone released after eating. GLP-1 tells the brain you are full, slows how fast the stomach empties, and helps the pancreas release insulin when blood sugar is high. Bofanglutide has a fatty tail that makes it stick to albumin, a blood protein, so it lasts about a week in the body. Because each shot is a large dose that is absorbed slowly, it can be given every two weeks instead of weekly.
Bofanglutide is a full agonist at the GLP-1 receptor, a class B G-protein-coupled receptor found on pancreatic beta cells, in the brainstem and hypothalamus, and in the gut. Receptor activation increases glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon, slows gastric emptying and reduces appetite. The Phase 2b authors describe it as a structurally modified human GLP-1 analog with no unnatural amino acids and a 22-carbon (C22) fatty diacid. Sequences published by laboratory-reagent suppliers, which Gan & Lee has not confirmed in a paper, show the human GLP-1 backbone with glycine at position 8 (where semaglutide uses the unnatural amino acid Aib), arginine at position 34, and the C22 diacid attached to lysine 26 through a linker. The fatty diacid drives albumin binding. In Gan & Lee's preclinical work, bofanglutide bound human serum albumin and the GLP-1 receptor with affinity similar to semaglutide and liraglutide, increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in mouse islets, and had a terminal half-life of 61.3 hours in cynomolgus monkeys. In first-in-human studies in the US and China, its half-life was about 7 days, peak levels came 60 to 96 hours after injection, and exposure did not differ between American and Chinese adults. The every-two-weeks schedule relies on dose and slow absorption rather than a much longer half-life. The developers argue that sustained, gradual exposure should blunt the dose-related nausea of more potent short-acting GLP-1 drugs and permit titration to higher doses. The Phase 2b obesity trial only partly supports this: weight loss on 48 mg every two weeks matched 24 mg weekly (the same total dose), but nausea and dropout were higher on the biweekly regimen. An oral version co-formulated with the absorption enhancer SNAC is in Phase 1, and Gan & Lee is also testing GZR102, a fixed combination of bofanglutide with its once-weekly insulin GZR4, in type 2 diabetes.
Evidence Snapshot
Human Clinical Evidence
Emerging and growing quickly. Published: two Phase 1 studies (US and China; half-life about 7 days), a Phase 1b/2a obesity trial (60 participants; 35-week Part B weight loss of 17.8% weekly and 12.8% every two weeks vs 0.7% on placebo), a Phase 1b/2a type 2 diabetes trial (72 participants), a 30-week Phase 2b obesity trial (340 participants; 9.75% to 16.69% vs 1.15% on placebo) and a 24-week open-label Phase 2b diabetes trial vs semaglutide 1 mg (272 participants; Annals of Internal Medicine 2026). Press release only: Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 (640 participants, 52 weeks; 15.12% and 18.54% vs 1.11%) and the 36-week US Phase 2 (326 participants; 15.18% on 48 mg vs 16.93% on tirzepatide 15 mg). Ongoing: OPTIMUM-1 and OPTIMUM-2 in diabetes, a Phase 3 vs Wegovy, the GRADUAL-1 extension, GRADUAL-3 monthly maintenance and two sleep apnea trials.
Animal / Preclinical
One peer-reviewed preclinical paper (Eur J Pharmacol 2022, with a 2026 corrigendum): albumin and receptor binding similar to semaglutide and liraglutide, a 61.3-hour half-life in monkeys, and lower blood glucose and HbA1c in db/db mice after repeated dosing.
Mechanistic Rationale
Strong. GLP-1 receptor agonism is one of the best-validated mechanisms in obesity and diabetes medicine, and fatty-acid acylation for albumin binding is the same strategy used in semaglutide. The novel claim is not the mechanism but the dosing interval, and that rests on high doses rather than a new pharmacology.
Research Gaps & Open Questions
What the current literature has not yet settled about Bofanglutide:
- 01Peer-reviewed publication of GRADUAL-1 and the US Phase 2, including the estimand used, discontinuation rates and adverse-event tables.
- 02Head-to-head weight-loss data against Wegovy (China, NCT07150975) and semaglutide (Latin America, BALANCE-OBS); no comparison with tirzepatide has been statistically tested.
- 03Whether every-two-weeks dosing actually improves adherence in real-world use, given that Phase 2b showed more nausea with the biweekly regimen at the same total dose.
- 04Efficacy and tolerability in non-Asian populations beyond the press-release US Phase 2 data.
- 05Cardiovascular outcomes, long-term safety beyond one year, and effects on lean mass.
- 06Whether once-monthly maintenance (GRADUAL-3) can preserve weight loss, and whether the oral tablet can reach meaningful exposure given 0.56% to 1.31% single-dose bioavailability.
Forms & Administration
Investigational subcutaneous injection, once every two weeks after a stepwise dose escalation. Obesity trials have used target doses of 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 mg every two weeks, and 24 mg weekly in Phase 2b; GRADUAL-1 tested 24 mg and 48 mg every two weeks. Diabetes trials used 12 to 24 mg every two weeks or 24 mg weekly. A once-monthly maintenance regimen is in Phase 3 (GRADUAL-3) and a once-daily oral tablet with SNAC is in Phase 1. Available only within clinical trials.
Dosing & Protocols
The ranges below reflect protocols commonly discussed in the literature and by clinicians — not a prescription. Actual dosing for any individual should be determined by a qualified healthcare provider who knows the patient.
Typical Range
Investigational only. Obesity trials used target doses of 12 to 48 mg every two weeks; the Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 doses were 24 mg and 48 mg every two weeks, and the US Phase 2 tested 24, 36 and 48 mg. Diabetes trials used 12 to 24 mg every two weeks or 24 mg weekly.
Frequency
Once every two weeks by subcutaneous injection after stepwise dose escalation. A once-monthly maintenance schedule is in Phase 3, and a once-daily oral tablet is in Phase 1.
Timing Considerations
Time of day
No preference — any time of day works.
Relative to meals
Injection: no meal-timing requirement has been described. Oral tablet (Phase 1 only): taken fasting; waiting 60 minutes before eating gave about twice the exposure of waiting 30 minutes.
Relative to exercise
Not tied to exercise timing.
Cycle Length
GRADUAL-1 ran 52 weeks with an ongoing extension study. Like other obesity drugs, bofanglutide is being developed for continuous long-term use; cycling has not been studied.
Protocol Notes
These are trial protocols, not use guidance, and any use belongs in a clinical trial under clinician supervision. In the Phase 2b obesity trial, doses were stepped up over 10 to 18 weeks before a 12- to 20-week maintenance period, and most GI side effects and dropouts happened during the step-up. The trial also offers a useful comparison: 48 mg every two weeks and 24 mg weekly deliver the same total dose over four weeks and produced similar weight loss, but nausea was reported by 64.1% vs 37.7%. The oral tablet is co-formulated with SNAC, the absorption enhancer in oral semaglutide; in Phase 1 it reached only about 0.56% to 1.31% of injectable exposure after a single dose. Bofanglutide is not available outside trials, and anything sold under its name or the GZR18 code is of unknown identity, purity and strength.
Bofanglutide is not approved by any regulator. These doses come from Gan & Lee trial protocols and published trials, not prescribing information.
Timeline of Effects
Onset
In Phase 1, healthy Chinese volunteers lost 1.9% to 3.1% of body weight by day 15 after two weekly doses. In the obesity trials, weight fell steadily through the 10- to 18-week dose escalation, which is also when GI side effects peaked.
Peak Effect
GRADUAL-1 reported 15.12% (24 mg) and 18.54% (48 mg) mean weight loss at 52 weeks; Gan & Lee has not said whether loss had plateaued by then. In the smaller Phase 1b/2a trial, weight loss reached 17.8% on weekly and 12.8% on every-two-weeks dosing at 35 weeks. The GRADUAL-1 extension and GRADUAL-3 will show longer-term trajectories.
After Discontinuation
Not studied. With a half-life of about 7 days, most of the drug clears within about five weeks of the last dose. Weight regain after stopping is the rule for GLP-1 drugs, and GRADUAL-3 is testing whether less frequent monthly injections can hold off regain.
Common Questions
What is bofanglutide?
Bofanglutide (GZR18) is an investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist from Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals, injected under the skin once every two weeks. It belongs to the same drug class as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and liraglutide. It is being developed for weight management and type 2 diabetes. China's regulator accepted its first marketing application, for long-term weight management, on 2 September 2026; it is not approved anywhere yet.
How does bofanglutide compare to semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy)?
The only published head-to-head trial is in type 2 diabetes: over 24 weeks in 272 Chinese adults, HbA1c fell 1.87% to 2.32% across bofanglutide arms versus 1.60% on semaglutide 1 mg weekly (the Ozempic diabetes dose, not the 2.4 mg Wegovy dose). The trial was open-label, and gastrointestinal side effects were more common on bofanglutide (81.8% to 87.3% vs 51.9%). For weight loss there is no completed head-to-head trial. Gan & Lee is running an open-label 52-week Phase 3 against Wegovy 2.4 mg in China (NCT07150975, about 420 participants, primary completion estimated mid-2027), and its Latin American partner has registered a second comparison (BALANCE-OBS). Cross-trial, GRADUAL-1's 18.54% at 52 weeks on 48 mg sits above semaglutide 2.4 mg's 14.9% at 68 weeks in STEP 1, but the populations (Chinese adults vs a multinational cohort), durations and analysis methods differ, so the numbers cannot be compared directly.
How does bofanglutide compare to tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)?
Tirzepatide activates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors; bofanglutide activates only GLP-1 receptors. In Gan & Lee's 36-week US Phase 2 trial, 48 mg bofanglutide every two weeks produced 15.18% mean weight loss and the tirzepatide 15 mg weekly reference arm produced 16.93%. The trial's primary objective was superiority over placebo, and the company did not report a statistical comparison with tirzepatide, so it does not show either drug is better. For context, tirzepatide 15 mg produced 20.9% weight loss at 72 weeks in SURMOUNT-1.
How can a drug with a one-week half-life be dosed every two weeks?
By giving a larger dose. Bofanglutide's half-life is about 7 days in both American and Chinese adults, similar to semaglutide's. Every-two-weeks doses of 24 to 48 mg let blood levels stay high enough between injections, and the drug is absorbed slowly (peak levels 2.5 to 4 days after injection). The Phase 2b obesity trial compared regimens directly: 48 mg every two weeks and 24 mg weekly deliver the same total amount over four weeks and gave similar weight loss at week 30 (16.09% vs 16.69%). Nausea, however, was more common with the larger, less frequent dose (64.1% vs 37.7%), and more people quit because of side effects (15.6% vs 9.4%). These arm-to-arm differences were not formally tested.
What are the side effects of bofanglutide?
Mostly gastrointestinal, mild to moderate, and concentrated while the dose is being raised. In the 30-week Phase 2b obesity trial, GI adverse events affected 78.8% to 90.6% of the bofanglutide groups vs 33.3% on placebo; at 48 mg every two weeks, 64.1% reported nausea, 62.5% vomiting and 37.5% diarrhea. Side effects led 1.9% to 15.6% of bofanglutide participants to leave the trial (highest at 48 mg every two weeks) vs 4.5% on placebo. No pancreatitis was reported; two participants had lipase above three times the upper limit of normal. Gan & Lee has described the Phase 3 safety profile as consistent with other GLP-1 drugs but has not yet published the event rates.
When will bofanglutide be available?
No approval date has been announced. In China, the NMPA accepted the weight-management marketing application on 2 September 2026 and it is under review. Partners hold rights for Europe (Menarini), South Korea (JW Pharmaceutical, which filed for a Korean Phase 3 trial in August 2026), India (Lupin) and Latin America (Productos Científicos). In the US, a Phase 2 trial is complete but no Phase 3 trial is registered and no application has been filed.
Is there an oral bofanglutide pill?
An oral tablet is in Phase 1. It is co-formulated with SNAC, the absorption enhancer used in oral semaglutide (Rybelsus). In healthy Chinese volunteers, only about 0.56% to 1.31% of a single oral dose reached the bloodstream relative to injection, and waiting 60 minutes before eating gave roughly twice the exposure of waiting 30 minutes. Gan & Lee says the data support once-daily oral development for type 2 diabetes and weight management, but no efficacy trial has been reported.
Can I buy bofanglutide?
Not legitimately for personal use. Laboratory-reagent suppliers list bofanglutide/GZR18 as a research compound labeled not for human use, and any product sold for injection outside a clinical trial has unverified identity, purity, sterility and dose. It is not approved in any country and cannot be legally compounded in the US.
Who Bofanglutide Is NOT For
- •Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2: a boxed-warning contraindication for approved GLP-1 drugs that is expected to apply to bofanglutide.
- •History of pancreatitis: GLP-1 drugs carry a pancreatitis warning; Phase 2b recorded no cases but two participants had lipase above three times the upper limit of normal.
- •Pregnancy or breastfeeding: no human data exist, and weight-loss drugs are generally stopped before and during pregnancy.
- •Severe gastroparesis or other serious GI motility disorders: GLP-1 drugs slow gastric emptying, and Gan & Lee is running a dedicated gastric-emptying study.
- •Type 1 diabetes: bofanglutide has only been studied in type 2 diabetes and in people without diabetes.
Drug & Supplement Interactions
No interaction data have been published. Gan & Lee has run Phase 1 studies of bofanglutide's effect on oral metformin (NCT06670209) and on gastric emptying and drug interactions (NCT07128888), but the results have not been reported. Like other GLP-1 drugs, bofanglutide is expected to slow gastric emptying, which can alter the absorption of oral medicines, especially those with a narrow therapeutic range. Combined with insulin or sulfonylureas, it is expected to raise the risk of hypoglycemia; in the published diabetes trials, background therapy was limited to oral drugs and hypoglycemia occurred in 0% to 3.8% with no severe episodes. It should not be combined with other GLP-1 receptor agonists. Gan & Lee is separately testing GZR102, a fixed combination of bofanglutide and its weekly insulin.
Safety Profile
Common Side Effects
Cautions
- • Investigational: not approved by the FDA, China's NMPA, the EMA or any other regulator
- • Not available outside Gan & Lee and partner clinical trials
- • At 48 mg every two weeks in Phase 2b, 15.6% left the trial because of adverse events (vs 4.5% on placebo), mostly GI events during dose escalation
- • GLP-1 class precautions (medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 history, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, severe GI motility disorders) are expected to apply; bofanglutide has no label yet
- • Almost all published participants are Chinese adults; US tolerability data exist only in a press release
- • No cardiovascular outcome trial is registered
What We Don't Know
Full Phase 3 safety data (adverse-event rates, discontinuations, gallbladder and pancreatic events) have not been published. Effects beyond about one year are unknown, as are cardiovascular outcomes. Whether the larger peak-to-trough swings of every-two-weeks dosing affect tolerability or lean mass over the long term has not been studied, and the Phase 2b data hint that the biweekly regimen brings more nausea than weekly dosing at the same total dose.
Legal Status
United States
Investigational and not FDA-approved. The FDA cleared an IND in December 2024 for the US Phase 2 trial, which completed in February 2026. No US Phase 3 trial is registered as of October 2026 and no marketing application has been filed. It is not legally available through compounding pharmacies, telehealth or research-chemical suppliers.
International
China: the NMPA accepted the marketing application for long-term weight management in adults with obesity or overweight on 2 September 2026; under review, not approved. Diabetes Phase 3 trials are ongoing. Europe: Menarini holds registration and commercialization rights in 39 countries (the 27 EU member states, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Balkan countries). South Korea: JW Pharmaceutical, which filed a Phase 3 trial application in August 2026. India: Lupin. Latin America: Productos Científicos, with Phase 3 trials in Mexico registered but not yet recruiting.
Sports & Competition
Not named on the WADA Prohibited List, but WADA's S0 category bans at all times any substance with no current approval from a government health authority for human therapeutic use, including drugs in clinical development. That covers bofanglutide until a regulator approves it. Approved GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are not named on the Prohibited List and are not prohibited.
Regulatory status changes over time. Verify current local rules with a qualified professional.
Myths & Misconceptions
Myth
Bofanglutide beat tirzepatide in a US trial.
Reality
It did not. In the US Phase 2, 48 mg bofanglutide every two weeks produced 15.18% weight loss and the tirzepatide 15 mg reference arm produced 16.93%. The trial was designed to beat placebo, and no statistical comparison with tirzepatide was reported.
Myth
Bofanglutide lasts twice as long as semaglutide.
Reality
Its half-life is about 7 days, similar to semaglutide's. The every-two-weeks schedule comes from giving much larger doses (24 to 48 mg) that are absorbed slowly.
Myth
Taking a shot every two weeks means fewer side effects.
Reality
In Phase 2b, nausea was more common on 48 mg every two weeks (64.1%) than on 24 mg weekly (37.7%), even though both deliver the same total dose. Fewer injections may help convenience, but not necessarily tolerability.
Myth
Bofanglutide is already approved in China.
Reality
China's NMPA accepted the marketing application on 2 September 2026. Acceptance starts the review; it is not an approval.
Published Research
13 studiesSafety, tolerability, relative bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of single and multiple doses of the novel oral bofanglutide in healthy Chinese participants (Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2026)
Weekly and Biweekly Treatment With Bofanglutide Versus Semaglutide in Chinese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Phase 2b Randomized Clinical Trial (Ann Intern Med 2026)
The only published head-to-head trial vs semaglutide (1 mg weekly): 272 participants, 24 weeks, open-label. Every bofanglutide arm lowered HbA1c more (1.87% to 2.32% vs 1.60%), with more GI adverse events (81.8% to 87.3% vs 51.9%).
Safety and efficacy of GZR18, a long-acting GLP-1 analog, in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, phase 1b/2a trial (Cell Rep Med 2026)
GZR18, a GLP-1 analog with once-weekly or bi-weekly dosing for body weight management: A randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 1b/2a trial (Cell Rep Med 2026)
Efficacy and safety of bofanglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, in Chinese adults with overweight or obesity: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b trial (Signal Transduct Target Ther 2026)
The main peer-reviewed efficacy trial: 340 adults, 30 weeks, five dose arms. Weight fell 9.75% to 16.09% on every-two-weeks doses and 16.69% on 24 mg weekly vs 1.15% on placebo; it also documents the high GI event rates and 15.6% dropout at 48 mg every two weeks.
The safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of GZR18 in healthy American and Chinese adult subjects (Diabetes Obes Metab 2025)
GZR18, a novel long-acting GLP-1 analog, demonstrated positive in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics in animal models (Eur J Pharmacol 2022)
Gan & Lee: Bofanglutide Meets Primary Endpoints in Phase III Weight Loss Study in China and Phase II Study in the U.S. (June 2026)
Topline source for GRADUAL-1 (640 participants; 15.12% and 18.54% weight loss at 52 weeks vs 1.11% on placebo) and the US Phase 2 (326 participants; 15.18% on 48 mg vs 16.93% on tirzepatide 15 mg at 36 weeks).
Gan & Lee and Menarini Group Partner to Advance Bofanglutide in Europe (September 2026)
Gan & Lee bofanglutide marketing application accepted by China's NMPA for long-term weight management (Jiemian, 2 September 2026)
JW Pharmaceutical signs $81 million license-in deal with China's Gan & Lee for GLP-1 obesity drug (Korea Biomedical Review, April 2026)
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06737042 — US Phase 2: GZR18 every 2 weeks vs tirzepatide and placebo
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07150975 — Phase 3: GZR18 vs semaglutide (Wegovy) in adults with obesity or overweight
Quick Facts
- Class
- GLP-1 Receptor Agonist
- Tier
- B
- Evidence
- Emerging
- Safety
- Limited Data
- Updated
- Oct 2026
- Citations
- 13PubMed
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